The threat of exposure on US soil to chemical/biological/nuclear agents is taken seriously by members of Congress. Many government agencies and Armed Forces have taken steps, as summarized herein.
It appears that there is a niche market for several hundred Headquarter (HQ) Vehicles of the same basic design, but customized by agencies with modules for communication, for threat analysis and for medical evacuation.
All have in common a novel system (disclosed hereby) which is capable of providing a shirtsleeve protected vehicle with entry and exit via personal protective suits. This novel system is a large step forward compared with presently used filters and cartridges. It offers simultaneous protection against all three threats: chemical, biological and nuclear, while remaining at top capacity to provide clean air for weeks. The potential customers are listed and tentative specifications for a HQ vehicle. A discussion is given on the technical details of how it works. Finally, a concluding section is set forth, which in part may be likened to a summary of the invention or claim.
The Threat
The US government has expressed strong concern about possible terrorist activity on US soil with chemical, biological and nuclear agents or devices. Extensive measures are in progress on rapid analysis, antidotes and response systems.
There appears to be a critical need forxe2x80x94so far not existingxe2x80x94general purpose headquarter vehicles to be used in areas possibly contaminated with chemical spills or war gases, biological contamination such as anthrax and typhoid, and radioactive contamination.
This HQ vehicle is intended to serve as a safe haven for observation, identification of threatening agents, as a basis for exit and reentry in personal protective suits and evacuation of victims with at least partial decontamination.
The vehicles are intended to be used by the US Army, National Guard, Red Cross, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), Fire Departments, Emergency Field Hospitals and others. Vehicles have some advantages over helicopters, whose air blasts tend to spread localized contamination sources and fail to protect the pilot.
The threat became reality during the Atlanta Olympic Games with a bomb blast. There is a published report on the various government agencies and US Armed Forces which responded. Accordingly, this 8 page report was studied and used particularly to plan the needs for a general HQ vehicle (see specifications) and to find out who the customers would be.
References:
1. xe2x80x9cFBI takes lead in developing counter terrorism effort.xe2x80x9d Chemical and Engineering Chemistry. Nov. 4, 1996 pages 10 to 16
2. The CBIAC Newsletter regularly covers the field of chemical warfare/Chemical and Biological Defense. Its Information Analysis Center is sponsored by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) which in turn is part of the US Department of Defense.
3. The US Department of Defense regularly issues a list of mainly technical problems which they have clearly identified and have authorized the money for. The SBIR program is the Small Business Innovation Research Program. Dr. Walles has successfully won the competition for several of these projects and gave presentations and demonstrations at SBIR award programs.
4. A most likely source of money to support the HQ vehicle project at the start is the TAT program (Technical Area Tasks) run by the CBIAC (see 2). It regularly reports who got how much money for which project.
Announced events with many people attending are especially vulnerable, such as stadium games and political conventions. Government command centers also are interested in improving their security with HQ vehicles.
Customer for HQ vehicles
The main potential customers appear to be federal, state, local agencies and certain chemical companies, plus US Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force. These diverse customers can be served by small variations on the main design, particularly by not including, but leaving space for communications and analytical modules.
The air decontamination unit covered by this invention should be useful as well for ship borne, airborne, aboard armored vehicles and in Field Hospitals. The nerve gas release in the Tokyo subway, the bombing of the New York Trade Center, the nuclear arms race between India and Pakistan have heightened awareness of terrorist threats.
Presidential Decision Directive 39 of Jun. 22, 1995 lays out US policy on counter terrorism. It gives the FBI lead responsibility for managing the crisis of a credible threat and the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) the lead in managing the consequences of actual use, both under oversight by the NSC (National Security Council).
However, some 40 federal agencies also have some responsibility. For the 1996 Olympic Games a multi-agency partnership formed the Science and Technology Center (STC) with a fixed HQ and Chem/Bio Response Team which was staffed by 50-70 chemists and biologists borrowed from various federal agencies and headquarters in Atlanta.
The US Army, for rapid identification of chemical warfare agents, set up the Material Command Treaty Laboratory which has a self-contained mobile lab. The US National Guard, eager not to lose mission, is organizing the Homeland Defense Command for greater emphasis on countering poison gas and germ warfare. The US Army also has the Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases in Fort Detrick, Md. There also is a US Army Technical Escort for special emergencies and VIP""s. The US Navy has the Biological Defense Research Program for identification and verification of biological agents. It is portable and designed to travel quickly anywhere in the world. It is part of the Naval Medical Research Institute. The US Marine Corp has CBIRF, the Chem/Bio Incident Response Force which just received special funding of S10 million. The US Coast Guard now has Coast Guard Strike Teams equipped with bulldozers, backhoes and loaders. The US Air Force has a Chem/Bio Response Team.
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has a Center for Infectious Diseases with close ties to the WHO (World Health Organization) of the United Nations. The US Public Health Service concentrates on treating casualties. Nuclear threats are addressed by the US Dept. of Energy. It has the Forensic Science Center at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has the NEIC (National Enforcement Investigations Center) in Denver, Colo. for identification of hazardous materials. It also has an Emergency Response and Removal Branch which can field a mobile monitoring laboratory. It can drive through a hazardous plume and monitor for poisons. It also has a vehicle with a suite of real time instruments. The NEIC is training 11 of its experts to fit into the Multi-Agency Task Force on Ecoterrorism. The EPA also has a counter terrorism unit called the National Incidents Coordination Team.
The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) sees itself as a xe2x80x9csystems integratorxe2x80x9d and has chemical and biological counter terrorism experience. It has a Laboratory Division and an Evidence Response Team.
The Central Intelligence Agency and the US Secret Service maintain certain interest, activities and capabilities. Among legislators the highly regarded Defense overseer Senator Sam Nunn has proposed special protection for the most populous 120 US cities. Together with Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Senator Pete V. Domenici (R-NM) they recently gave the Pentagon an extra $144 million for response to nuclear/chemical/biological/radiological emergencies. On May 22, 1998 the US President ordered stock-piling of antibiotics and vaccines for civilian protection against biological warfare.
In April 1998 $800,000 was awarded to a small company by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for vaccine development against bio warfare. The Pentagon has created a new Joint Program Office for Biological Defense in Arlington, Va. It was funded with $1400 million for passive defenses against bio weapons and is managed by the US Army under direct control by the JCS (Joint Chiefs of Staff). The US Army has now set up a new command, the Chemical and Biological Defense Command APG (Maryland).
The Battelle Research Institute operates via its Battelle Edgewood Operations the US Army Edgewood Research, Development and Engineering Center.
Thus, there appear to be agencies eager to conquer part of the new missions, and others concerned about losing mission.
It appears worthwhile to invite the various government and state agencies to participate in a meeting set up to specifically address the specifications for a novel HQ vehicle and to their interest in purchasing one or more.
Announcing the intent to build a series of 100 of these vehicles with greatly improved capabilities may secure their attention and cooperation.
Co-sponsors for such a meeting may be the FBI, DARPA, FEMA, CBIAC, and others, see above.
HQ Vehicle Specifications
The challenge to private industry is to come up with a design which permits the customers with different needs to customize, while sticking to a uniform design. Thus, communications equipment and portable analytical gear are not part of the specs, but space is reserved for them plus an extra large access door and extra electrical power for their modules.
Thus, multiple missions can be accommodated, such as
threat analysis with special equipment
people rescue with medical specialists
command headquarters
special fighting capability
Listed specifications are tentative and can be modified via discussion with customers:
1. Maintain slight over-pressure to prevent entry of threat agents into the sealed HQ vehicle.
2. Be self-contained as far as breathing air: 1 month (or 1 week?).
3. Fuel for 1 week, food for 1 week.
4. 1000 mile range per fuel tank.
5. Decontamination capability for 1 month with 200 re-entries.
6. Accommodate 5-10 personnel.
7. Storage for 20 exit personal protective gear; gear itself not included, as agencies have their own.
8. Large door to permit loading of communications module and specialized analytical modules or medical supplies in a module.
9. Air purification system fully automatic, good for 1 month in the field, fool proof.
10. Provide its main mission to provide a shirtsleeve HQ protected from moderate outside chem/bio/nuclear threat and permitting exit and re-entry for people with personal protective suits during threats.
11. Provide 4 simultaneous re-entry cubicles with full decontamination, or as variant 2 simultaneous re-entry cubicles plus 1 stretcher re-entry of double size.
12. Provide extra HQ shirtsleeve protection by having a separate area for donning and storing protective suits and providing emergency rapid contaminated entry bypassing the slow but secure re-entry cubicles. Have an extra cubicle between the shirtsleeve and protective suit area.
13. Carry the novel pyro sulfuric acid type equipment which works without filters, can handle all three threats (chem/bio/nuclear) simultaneously with 1 month fully automatic service.
14. Equip the re-entry, one person cubicles with multiple decontamination faucets and gear for:
ultraviolet light
ozone
pyro sulfuric system
diluted bleach or peroxide
bicarbonate in water
dry, clean breathing air
slight over pressure and leak tight